Arnie acts to protect stars from paparazzi

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor turned California governor, has signed a new law tripling the damages celebrities can win from photographers if they are assaulted while being pursued.

It will also prevent paparazzi profiting from any pictures taken during an altercation if they are convicted of assaulting a celebrity.

As well as damages, victims could seek a court order requiring the photographer to hand over any money earned from the pictures taken.

Mr Schwarzenegger, a frequent paparazzi target, once testified against two British photographers after a car chase involving him and his pregnant wife. The Terminator star has also lobbied for buffer zones to protect celebrities.

The measure was passed as authorities in Los Angeles try to control the aggressive tactics of photographers who trawl the streets of Hollywood looking for stars.

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Several young actresses, among them Reese Witherspoon, Lindsay Lohan and Scarlett Johansson, have been involved in recent clashes with photographers.

Lohan suffered minor injuries when she was allegedly hit by a photographer's car as she tried to outrun him in rush-hour traffic.

The photographer, Galo Ramirez, was bailed on charges of assault with a deadly weapon.

Johansson, known for her roles in Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring, claimed she was being pursued by a photographer when she crashed her car into another vehicle outside Disneyland in August. Last month Witherspoon said she saw a paparazzo attempting to take pictures of her young daughter assault two Disneyland employees as they tried to shield her from his "aggressive and frightening" behaviour.

The author of the bill, Cindy Montanez, a Democrat California assembly member, said the law aimed to curb the "dangerous behaviour" of paparazzi by curbing their ability to "make enormous, outrageous profits".

"This bill hits the paparazzi where it hurts - the wallet," she said. The bill would protect stars as well as bystanders who may be injured in chases involving paparazzi.

"Ultimately, when it got to the governor's desk, I think he probably remembered his own situation, when he testified in court."

In 1998, photographers used cars to surround Mr Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, as they collected their son from school.

The two British paparazzi were convicted of endangering the family and given brief jail sentences.

During the trial, Miss Shriver, who was five months pregnant, said she felt like "a caged animal" when the photographers prevented the couple leaving the school.

Tom Newton, of the California Newspaper Publishers' Association said: "We wish the governor had vetoed the bill but he and his family were victims of the behaviour it was attempting to end."

Mr Newton said any journalists sued under the new law would be able to challenge it as unconstitutional because it treats them more harshly than other Californians.